In the prior art (see FIG. 3), special burst mode controllers 14 have hitherto been used which are integrated as dedicated hard-wired logic (Standard Specific Control Circuit) in the processor of the baseband block 15. At the end of the RF radio section 16, there is an application-specific IC (RF ASIC) which is responsible for a radio transmission method according to a special standard (GSM, DECT, Bluetooth). The baseband processor 15 and the RF radio section 16 are connected to one another via a mixed-mode interface 8, that is to say via analog and digital control lines.
The burst mode controller 14 is responsible for all timing sequences in the TDMA method. It is intended to implement the special time slot output or time slot sequence of the corresponding TDMA standard. FIGS. 4 and 5 show what this looks like in the known DECT and GSM methods.
Thus, in the GSM system (FIG. 5), carrier frequencies are used which are in each case spaced apart by 200 kHz and which, in turn, are subdivided again into 8 time slots each (slots 12). In the European DECT standard, up to 10 frequency channels are used which, in turn, are subdivided into 12 time slots each for uplink and downlink. Each slot 12 is subdivided into a data field for the payload 11 and a field for synchronization and signaling purposes 10. The latter can be located directly at the start (preamble 10) or in the center (midamble 13) of the slot 12. In DECT systems (see FIG. 4), for example, a preamble 10 is used, whereas the GSM system (FIG. 5) uses a midamble 13.
So that no interference occurs between adjacent time slots, a guardband 19 of corresponding length must be provided as one of numerous timing parameters between the slots 12. Thus, the respective time slot masks of the TDMA radio systems considered require different timing parameters which are specified by the burst mode controller 14 in the prior art.
Considering the multiplicity of current and planned TDMA radio systems (GSM, DECT, Bluetooth etc.), it appears to be a meaningful task to enable components in a TDMA transmission system to be used more universally.